These Are the 50 Best Southern Restaurants in the U.S., According to OpenTable

Southerners know what to serve to comfort and satisfy your cravings. Fried chicken, crab cakes, and shrimp and grits are the kinds of food that do much more than just solve hunger.

And according to a new ranking, you don’t always have to go directly to the South to get the best Southern food. OpenTable on Tuesday released its list of the 50 Best Southern Restaurants in America for 2018. The reservation platform determined the list based on diner reviews for more than 27,000 restaurants in all 50 states and Washington, D.C.

All restaurants in the “Southern” cuisine category with a minimum “overall” score and number of qualifying reviews were included for consideration. Qualifying restaurants were then scored and sorted according to their overall food rating. The top 50 restaurants — listed alphabetically below — can be found in 14 states and Washington D.C.

Courtesy of Mr. B's Bistro

Louisiana tops the list with the most restaurants. Texas and North Carolina came in second, followed by Alabama, Florida, South Carolina, and Georgia which all tied for third.

While Southern states claim the most restaurants on the list, you can also find some of the top-ranked establishments in states like New York, Philadelphia, and Illinois.